Even though China leads the medal table, the GB Paralympic team are leading the world in disability sports.
13/09/16
Press Release by: KartForce
No other country has so many disabled people taking part in motorsport – from karting to the highest levels of car racing.
British engineering and British ingenuity – not to mention British Bulldog spirit – have made it possible for people with disabilities to compete on race tracks, on a totally level playing field.
David Butler has lead the way. He became a triple amputee as a child when he discovered an unexploded WWII bomb. He went on to race in Porsches, set up the British Motor Sport Association for the Disabled and is now the MSA’s expert advisor.
Lord Paul Drayson had to fight the FIA so he could race in the Le Mans 24hr as he’s blind in one eye. This year a Frenchman, quadruple amputee, competed in the Le Mans 24hr.
In order for our injured troops to compete on equal terms in team endurance kart and car racing, we had to design hand controls.
It is absolutely imperative that we give our disabled drivers the tools they need so they can go racing and let their skills do the talking.
Our kart hand controls are used at tracks all over the country and around the world so more disabled people can enjoy the thrills of karting. It has taken a lot of time and investment to develop the hand controls we use on our race car, but more work needs to be done.
This would not have been possible without a grant from the Douglas Bader Foundation – a British WWII amputee fighter pilot helping this generation of amputee fighters.
Our drivers that need hand controls need to be able to do everything with their hands. Imagine going into a chicane at full speed. You need to steer, brake, change gears, then very quickly steer, throttle and change gear. This cannot be done competitively in an automatic car with standard push/pull hand controls.
We have developed a system that does all the above, except fly-by-wire braking – a problem that no one has been able to tackle yet. It’s not as simple as you might think.
Race spec hand controls do not come cheap – the cost varies per car from £10k to £15k. More when we have a solution to electronic braking.
In order for us to continue to develop this unique technology we need your help. Please click HERE if you want to help.
Our results on track, both in karts and cars, have more than proven that our hand controls allow our drivers to race on equal terms.
KartForce and Team BRIT are smashing these barriers and making motorsport for disabled people the norm.
Just like the Paralympics is inspiring the next generation of disabled athletes, we are inspiring and paving the way for the next generation of disabled racing drivers – all over the world.
Our motto is #AliveToDrive and we are already making racing history. Click HERE to read our team prospectus outlining our road ahead to compete in the Le Mans 24hr.
